


Time relativity

by CrystalRavenClaw



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, Cussing, Family being Family, Good Brother Ben, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, More tags to be added, No Beta, Time Travel, good brother diego
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:00:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23956507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystalRavenClaw/pseuds/CrystalRavenClaw
Summary: “I could care less which one of you goes, just hurry up, I don’t know how long this space is going to last.” Five rolled his eyes.“I’ll go.” They turned around to look at the voice. Klaus. “If you think about it,” -he ignored Diego’s You think? - “I would be the last one who would be caught. If I start talking nonsense about the future, they will just think I’m high. I’m already distant by that time, so if I go away for some time then no one will care.”“That’ll be a lonely existence.” Five said.“Yeah, so will popping out of existence, besides, I’ll be able to call you guys up. I could still talk to you.” Klaus nodded to himself.“No,” Ben spoke up, “He said we would no longer exist, which is different than being dead.”AKA: Klaus goes back in time by himself to save the world, love his sister, make a new family, and find the love of his life. Sounds simple right?
Relationships: Dave/Klaus Hargreeves
Comments: 10
Kudos: 76





	Time relativity

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo this is my story...I hope you like it? Constructive criticism is asked for as this story has no beta. Updates are going to be slow, but it will be worth it!

Time is relative, Albert Einstein once said. 100 years later, he was proven correct in his theory. Scientists placed immensely time accurate clocks into a high-speed jet racing around the Earth. One of the twin clocks sat on the ground telling the exact time, while one of the jets was off or delayed by seconds. The observer stated it felt like time was passing normally on the jet. Einstein also asserted gravity was an accelerant for time. The more gravitational pull, the slower time moves, and vice versa, the less pull the faster. Einstein was scarily accurate about his assumptions of time and space. Einstein also said time was set, that it could not be changed but was just being looked at. Like an observer seeing the whole string but as humans, they can only see a small part of it, as it slowly descends down the string. He said humans didn’t have free will, that what happened has already happened before, and people are simply there to watch.

They all stood together holding hands waiting for Five to transport them back to their former lives, a time much simpler, back to the time long past. The blue light that sucked them into its vortex was disorienting, making them all lose balance the second they landed. 

It wasn’t where they were supposed to be. They also didn’t look like kids anymore, except Five, who still looked like a kid.

“Five…” Luther growled at Five, “Where are we?” The buildings surrounding them stood too tall, some too short, others too wide, a few too thin. It was like looking at a Pisco painting, everything abstract and various colors. The street they all stood on had no cars, yet horns seemed to be honking around them all. The street lights above were blue, purple, and pink. There was a sidewalk, but no people on the sidewalk, contradicting the phones that seemed to bing. 

“Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.” Klaus popped up, ignoring the glare Five and Luther sent his way.

“I-I don’t know.” Five started to fidget and pace along the road, “Something must have happened, I don’t know- I must have messed up the equation again. I’ve never warped with multiple people before, it must have changed something, something important. But what is the question? Dolores would know.” He went off and started to mutter and trail off to himself. 

“Let’s just warp again, if you get it right, we might end up in the right time.” Diego ran his hand through his hair as he glowered at Five. 

Five shot him a look, “You think I haven’t thought of that? I would have done it already if I could!” 

Allison laid a hand on Five’s shoulder, “What do you mean?” It was hoarse and very quiet, but it was enough. 

Five’s nose twitched about to answer when a voice from the back did. “He used all his power. He doesn’t have enough to warp us all again.” Allison, Luther, Diego, and Five swirled around to look at Ben. 

“Ben?” Luther whispered. “Are you really here?” He shifted Vanya again, so her neck was more supported.

“Who else would it be? It's not like some weirdo dressed up as him and came with us to this creepy room guys.” Klaus, who was standing next to Ben said, swaying lightly. 

“But he’s dead.” Diego retorted, “He can’t be here. Did you do this?” Diego looked at Klaus with disdain, but also a spark of hope.

“I did you moron.” Five growled, “When I brought you careless bunch back, it was supposed to make us all go back to when we were 13, and Ben was alive when we were 13. It helped that he was also clutching Klaus’s arm when we teleported.” He started pacing again, “But that is not the point. We are off track, the point is that I only have enough power to warp one more time, and that’s only if it's one person.” 

Diego rocketed on his heels, “So you’re saying that you don’t have enough control, that you’re not strong enough? Useless.” 

Five froze, and turned around to Diego, “You don’t understand, your brain is just so small it can’t even comprehend even a small percent of what I am going through, so unless you want to be dead in the next few hours, I suggest you zip it.” 

“Guys.” Luther scolded before Diego could say anything. “We have bigger problems than just who is stronger.” He took a deep breath before continuing, “Five, why don’t you just warp back and save us once you get your powers restored.” 

Five sighed again, “It doesn’t work that way. Once I go back in time this timeline collapses, and a new one takes its place.” He started up again when he was met with the blank looks of the Hargreeves family. “Say I go back in time with my conscience, then you live with a lot smarter Five, but when you guys were kids, I was not this smart. I wasn’t from the future, I was just another one of the Hargreeves 6. I would go back and change things so that this would never happen, meaning that you would cease to exist, and that means there is no way I could save you. Besides, I don’t want to go back.” 

“What?” Luther said. “What do you mean you don’t want to go back?” 

Five smiled his creepy smile back up to him, “I already lived through being a kid once, and then I did it again, I simply refuse to go through that again, so it has to be someone else. Also, the fact that you won’t be able to tell anyone where you came from, that you came from the future. I don’t think that I would be able to act like a stupid 13-year-old.”

“But you didn’t act like a 13-year-old when you found us, and you told us you were from the future and even helped us try to change it,” Luther said.

“Yes, but the difference here is that when I went back in time, I was already gone, I couldn’t disrupt the future any further than it already was by being there. I wasn’t meeting myself or taking someone else's place. It's more timeline stuff that would fly right over your little heads.”

“Are there any other rules for our all-powerful God?” Diego asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice. 

“No, I think that’s all. No serious changing of events unless completely necessary. The person who goes back will have the Commission coming after them, not even our family can know. You can’t trust anyone.”

“I’ll go.” Luther volunteered. 

“No, you won’t, I’ll go.” Diego glared at Luther. “You’re not sneaky and it would be easy to tell something happened to you. Plus, I need to take care of something.” 

“So do I, and I can be sneaky, sneakier than you at least.” Luther flickered his gaze to Diego, before setting his eyes on Five. “I lost 4 years of my life, and I want them back.” 

Allison hit him on the top of his head and shook her head at him. “What? I did, and I want them back.” She just glared at him. 

“I could care less which one of you goes, just hurry up, I don’t know how long this space is going to last.” Five rolled his eyes. 

“I’ll go.” They turned around to look at the voice. Klaus. “If you think about it,” -he ignored Diego’s You think? - “I would be the last one who would be caught. If I start talking nonsense about the future, they will just think I’m high. I’m already distant by that time, so if I go away for some time then no one will care.” 

“That’ll be a lonely existence.” Five said. 

“Yeah, so will popping out of existence, besides, I’ll be able to call you guys up. I could still talk to you.” Klaus nodded to himself. 

“No,” Ben spoke up, “He said we would no longer exist, which is different than being dead.” 

Five nodded at Ben, “This is why he was always my favorite. He has half a brain and he used it. You won’t be able to talk to us at all. If you do this Klaus, there is no turning back, no advice, no talk of the future to anyone.” 

“I think I got that the first time you said it.” Klaus leaned on his left heel. 

“You never know with the thick skull you have.” Five muttered. “Everyone in agreement?” He looked at the siblings when his eyes landed on Luther and Diego. They seemed to be in a glaring contest with everyone in the room. 

Five continued, “All you need to do is steal Vanya’s medication, make it seem like she is still taking them, train her in her powers, make everyone treat her like an actual person, yet not change too much that the Commission will know who is changing the timeline.” What he said seemed to be dismissed as Diego walked over to Klaus.

Diego closed his eyes for a second before pulling Klaus close to him, “Listen, I need you to do something for me.”

“Yeah, anything for you,” Klaus said, a cloud-like look on his face.

Diego ignores him, “Eudora, Eudora Patch. She died. I want you to protect her with your life, do you understand? Make it so she doesn’t get hurt, even if it means pulling me away from her. If you hurt her in any way, I don’t care if I don’t exist anymore, I will rain fire on you.” Diego shot him a harsh look, before storming away not waiting for Klaus’s response. 

“Anyone else,” Five called out, “Want to waste time by telling Klaus to do something?” His eyes are harsh over the siblings. Luther starts to open his mouth, but Five cuts him off, “Good! Now Klaus, listen, this is not kicking the can, you can’t mess around. You are going to be tempted to tell people. Word of advice, don’t. If you do it could throw off the time continuum and we will all be dead.” At this point, Five pulls Klaus close, “Don’t screw this up, if you do, I can’t save you.” 

Five relaxed back, “Take my hand.” He threw his hand out to number four. Klaus simply nodded. “Don’t worry, the worst you can do is destroy the entire galaxy by one little slip-up.” His smile was sharp yet tired. 

The world went black. 

And that was it.

When Klaus arose the sun was teetering on the edge of the horizon. The cusp of light growing ever closer, reaching for his skin. It was beautiful and headache-inducing. Rising to his feet, he came face to face with the Academy. It stood tall and regal, imposing and secure. The vines hugged the building, the trees curving to look. 

It looked the same as it did all those years ago. 

It didn’t stop the crushing feeling that swamped his chest. 

They say that distance makes the heart grow fonder, and Klaus doesn’t think he could get any further than this. He wasn’t going to see them again. God, he wasn’t going to see his siblings again. 

A laugh bubbled into his throat searing the muscle surrounding it. His back hunched as his stomach squeezed, his eyes twisting acid as thin tears slipped. He laughed and laughed. Laughed until he had no more tears to laugh, laughed until his stomach gave out to the blistering vomit, laughed until his bones broke under his weight. He laughed some more just to feel the pain under his skin. The fire that curled around him like an old friend. He let himself burn. He deserved it. 

The sun was gone by the time he woke up again, the moon high in the sky. “Hey, look! You’re not blown up anymore!” Klaus giggled. “Ben look!” He turned on his side, the grass sifting to follow him, “Look at the…” No one was there. No one was ever there really.

The bubbling returned. The inferno numbing his body; ripping into bone, tissue, and muscle. He tried to stand, but his legs snapped like a rubber band. His head bounced off the ground, and he was out again.

This time he roused to a grasshopper sitting on his face. The eyes of the bug looking at Klaus intensely, or as intensely as a bug could look.

“Hello, buddy! What’s your name?” He croaked. 

The bug chipped back. 

“Oh, that’s nice.”

This time the bug was quiet.

“I thought Jeremiah was a bullfrog?”

The grasshopper jumped off of him.

Klaus huffed, “Rude.” 

It was silent again. No sound, like the forest, roads, and ponds were dead. Where were the dead anyways? By now most of them would be screaming for help as their skin melted off their bodies, their eyes hanging by threads. He missed Pova Rida, she always had the nicest skin, not peeling and pulverized as the rest of them. Not that he minded the quiet. It was comforting in a way, like a baby being cradled by its mother. Not that Klaus would know what that’s like, his mom was a Robo Mom. His dad was abusive so that was a no go for him. 

Klaus didn’t want to move. He didn’t want to fight his body anymore. The proportions were off. His legs were shorted, his mouth smaller, his feet too big. He was a kid again like Five said. He was a kid like Five. Five, who moved mountains to see his family again. Who no longer existed. 

With a breath, Klaus shoved that down, bottling it tight and tossing it as far away as possible. He didn’t need that negativity in his life. 

Rolling his shoulders back, he took a step forward and tipped backward into the fountain behind him. 

“Why is there seaweed here? What kind of fountain has seaweed?” He plucked the weed off his face before trying again.

Klaus popped the knot in his back, before gazing at his clean hands; hello and goodbye not inscribed on the blemished surface. 

“Number 4?” A voice called. His eyes trailed up to find little Ben in the window, “What are you doing?” 

Klaus looked over at Ben, his hair swiped up like their Father always liked it. He doesn’t have that hair anymore, not after he died. Klaus felt his throat close up, his eyes try to well, his hands clammy, the beat of his heart slowing down to the swish of the wind. He was small, his shoulders and chin did not stick out just right, yet. 

They weren’t all the way filled out when he died either. 

Klaus was going to save his little brother no matter what the universe or Five said. 

“Your mom. Sorry, sorry!” Klaus fixed himself at Ben’s disgruntled look, “Been a long time since I’ve been able to make that joke my dear lovely brother!” 

“You made that joke yesterday.” The sarcasm dripped from his tone, almost like Ben. Well, dead Ben...Ben wasn’t dead though, so Alive-Dead Ben, but technically that Ben never existed, so Alive-Dead Nonexistent Ben. God, he missed his brother already. 

“Yesterday smesterday, I don’t have the time for dates, Benji! If Father Horrible finds me out here it’s back to Hell!” Klaus cheered. 

Ben just gave him a weird look, and Klaus could just hear Alive-Dead Nonexistent Ben call him an idiot. What Klaus didn’t hear was Ben’s saying, “Who’s Benji?”

With that, Klaus ran up to the Academy, threw open the door, and rushed up to his now living 13-year-old brother launching his arms around him. “I missed you.” He whispered into his hair. 

There was a reason Klaus loved Ben the most, and it wasn’t just because he followed him around for 13 years, but because when he said that, Ben simply rolled his eyes with a sigh and hugged him back.

When Klaus was back to himself, he started to look around the place. The first room he got a look was Ben’s, and it still looked the same minus the dust. The bookshelf was stuffed to the brim, clothes overflowing to the floor, and most importantly, Ben was sitting on the bed with black covers. 

“Are you ever gonna change those covers?” Klaus spotted him.

“No. They were a gift, the only gift you ever gave me, and I’m keeping them forever.” Ben called over his shoulder, but Alive-Dead Nonexistent Ben added because it bugs the hell out of you and that’s funny, into Klaus’s head.

“You’re a ghost, you don’t get an opinion,” Klaus spoke automatically. Ben looked over to him, his eyes fired with questions. “Oh don’t worry about me, Benny Boy! Just speaking to people who don’t exist.” He waved his palm that once said goodbye at him.

Ben twisted to face Klaus, putting his book down, “That’s the second time you called me Ben.” 

Klaus tilted his head, “Do you want me to call you Number 6!” He announced as Father Judgy. 

Ben rolled his eyes, advertising them back to his book before speaking again, “That is my name.” He started to fiddle with the book, dogging the ears. 

Klaus may or may not have run into a chair when he realized his mistake. They’re 13, early 13 from the way Ben’s talking, which indicates Five is still living with them, meaning Robo Mom hasn’t given them names yet. 

“Well, I just thought it was appropriate! What kind of self-respecting 13 years old is called Six? Honey, I was doing you a favor calling you something else.” Klaus chirped. 

“If I’m Ben, what are you?”

“Klaus! Klaus the Kraken!” 

“That’s Two! If you want alliteration, why not Sally? Or Sam? So it’s Sally the Seance, Sam the Seance.” 

Klaus draped himself against the offending chair, putting his hand over his face to be dramatic, “No! Klaus, like the dude from Clue! He was very pretty, but I think I could hold the standard! Right Ben?”

At this point, Ben closed his book, setting it aside, “Considering that there is not a person named Klaus in Clue, no I don’t think so.”

Klaus throws his hand over his heart gasping, “The Horror! How could you wound me so, dear brother! The betrayal! I’m a good enough person to forgive you, but not stupid enough to trust you again!” 

Ben chuckled, “Sure Klaus.” The name was uttered with a flourish, becoming more insulting than just being a name. 

The silence stretched between the two, not uncomfortable but not welcoming either. Klaus felt his heart wrenching with each passing tick of the clock. Alive-Dead Nonexistent Ben and Klaus would be laughing and joking, but at 13 years old, the two didn’t talk all that much. This Ben though, Number Six, was quiet, not sarcastic, and hunched over himself trying to forget the horror under his skin. 

Then Ben spoke again, “What would the other’s names be?”

Klaus crackled, “Oh Number One would be Looney-Warde, Number Two Chris P. Bacon, Number Three D. Liver, Number 5 Chip Munk, Number 6 Ben Dover, Number 7 is Jerry. Because ditch Jerry.”

“So you have thought about it then?” 

“Shut up Six.”

Klaus left Ben’s room at 2:30, ghosts were wandering around, and Klaus went to haunt the other’s bedrooms. The first he came across was Diego’s. His door was closed but it wasn’t locked. Twisting the knob and tiptoeing, Klaus took a second to look at his brother. It wasn’t like Ben, where even though Klaus could see Ben’s face as he aged, young Ben was stamped into Klaus’s mind, his body cold and unmoving laid out on the table as Luther explained what happened. It wasn’t the first time Klaus lost a bit of faith in Luther, but it was the last. Luther saw Klaus as a junkie, and Klaus just didn’t see Luther. The therapist said he blamed Luther but what does he know? He never helped anybody.

Diego was starfished on his bed, and if Klaus’s eyes weren’t lying, he was drooling too. At 13 the bed swallowed Diego, pulling his legs into the squishy surface, his arms sinking outside the confines of the mattress, and his headset in the middle, his eyes soft missing the harsh lines that used to outline them. And if Diego slept with knives, it didn’t mean anything.

Klaus set off to find another sidling. Maybe this one would make him feel better. Fill a pit that was already ebbing at his chest. 

He walked past Luther’s room, knowing if he stepped in, Number One would strangle him and Klaus didn’t need that negativity in his life. He ignored the bug of Alive-Dead Nonexistent Ben telling him he didn’t want to have another panic attack in front of his brother.

Allison’s room was next, the door sparkled in glitter and splashed with pink, the smell of greenery wafting into the hallway. Unlike Diego’s door, hers was locked. Klaus rubbed his hands together before grabbing a Bobby pin from his hair. With the hands of a thief, Number Four made it in. 

His heartbeat lowered when he saw her, neck and all. Her breathing was even, contrasting her older version’s labor breathing. She looked healthy, moreover, she looked comfortable, not having the burden of Claire and Vanya on her shoulders. All young Allison had to worry about was her feelings for Luther and stardom. 

With one last swipe of her nail polish collection, Klaus dashed out of the room. Turning the corner was Vanya’s small room. The door was plain with no markings showing the person inside. Unlike the others doors, this one was ajar as if wanting someone to come in and talk to her. 

Klaus creeps into her room, where no pictures or posters hugged the wall like Allison’s, no color lined the walls like Diego’s, no unnecessary furniture bordered the walls like Ben’s, and no records or instruments laid in the room like Luther’s. The room was ordinary, extra-ordinary. 

Except for the pills laying on the meager dresser.

And for the girl taking them.

Klaus knows logically that if he just takes the pills, Hargreeeves will notice, if he replaces the pills with something else, Vanya might kill somebody, if he does nothing, it will all happen again. He could take the pills right now, and Vanya would get a new batch in the morning. But it might do something. It might show her that they aren’t the right pills. That she never needed them. 

So with little fanfare, Klaus grabbed the bottle and threw it out the open window into the lake below. 

He didn’t expect a blue light to absorb it, nor did he expect to fall into the one under his feet. 

When the dizziness and disordered feeling left, Klaus looked up to a very confused and frustrated Five with his arms crossed and his eyebrow raised, the bottle now clutched in his small hands. 

“So,” the little rat drawled out, “are you going to explain why you are throwing Number 7’s pills out the window, or is that confidential?”

“Hey, little bro! It’s so good to see you again! Oh, how have I missed our midnight adventures where we scavenged the wildest of places, the bedroom!” Klaus clapped his hands together, before resting them on Five’s shoulders. “Now I know its hard, but we have to stay apart for the fate of this world! So, come on cos, give me the bottle so we can both leave!”

He knew there was very little to a nonexistent chance Five was going to give him the bottle, but what else could he do? Take it out of the rugrat’s hands? That’s just rude!

Shut up, Alive-Dead Nonexistent Ben, he’s having a crisis here!

“Don’t touch me,” Five growled, throwing Klaus’s hand off of his shoulder, “and don’t think you are getting away with this. Why did you throw Seven’s pills out?” The words were seethed through clenched teeth of the 13-year-old. 

“You seem to be having some anger issues, dear brother, have you told our cherished caretaker about getting therapy for it? I’m sure he would drop everything to help his darling wittle Five,” Klaus made a grab at Five’s cheeks knowing it would make him blow a fuse. Which was funny, no matter what Alive-Dead Nonexistent Ben said and he said a lot. 

Five slaps his hands away, “Look, I don’t have time for this, ok? I just want to know why you threw her pills out! I thought your feeble mind could understand that much. If you’re not going to tell me, I’ll find out myself, just in the meantime, find a brain.” With that, Five stomps out of the room like the Batman he is. 

Klaus smiles, “Did you see that Benny Boo? We made little Fivesy Wivesy mad! And he took the pills with him! I told you I could do this!” Klaus laughed the rest of the way to his room.

Klaus came to the realization that it wasn’t just the outside of the house that looked the same, but the contents also remained untouched. Even the people inhabiting it. Luther still followed Father JerkFace around like a puppy, Diego still tripped over most of his words, Allison still walked around with an arrogant air around her, Five still was distant and sharp, Ben was an angel, and Vanya still silent and invisible. Just like old times! 

A voice that sounded suspiciously like Alive-Dead Nonexistent Ben whispered into his ear, “They are 13 years old right now, and in less than a year, Five was going to run to the future and lose himself to isolation and deprivation. In less than a year, their robot Mom was going to give them all names. In less than a year, you are going to try and save your little brother. Can you do that?” Funny things this little voice purrs, isn’t it?

The next morning the mix-matched family stood around the table, waiting for their father to order them to sit down. Vanya was rocking on her heels in the corner she was designed. 

“Everything alright little sis?” Klaus asks knowing exactly what was wrong. Allison was the one to respond though.

“I’m fine.”

Klaus blinked up at her. He wasn’t even looking at Allison, Hell, he had been staring at Vanya but he forgot that in the Hargreeves family there was only one sister. That really needed to change, after all, sisterism is a problem all over the world! “No, I mean our other beautiful sister, Vanya!” 

“Number Four, are you high again? I thought we talked about this.” Luther said with his high and mighty air, even if he was just a 13 year old.

Klaus took a breather, reminding himself why he was here and ignoring Alive-Dead Nonexistent Ben who was yelling profanities at Luther, all in the same breath. “Sorry, sorry, you know me, heads in the clouds!” He said in a sing-song voice before snapping back to attention, “I was talking to Number Seven.”

The brunette jumped a little at being addressed, which wow, that’s mega sad. She opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, before turning her head down to the table, not saying anything.

Klaus was about to say something to her again but the big boss man sauntered into the room, barely fitting his massive ego in. All the children stood rim-rod straight, waiting for the order to sit down. Now that was just silly, so before Daddy-o could say a word, Klaus ripped the chair out from Ben’s spot, sat down, and threw his feet on the table. 

The silence in the air was intoxicating. It made Alive-Dead Nonexistent Ben giggle under his breath, and the ghost hanging out in the coroners shrink back. 

“Number Four! Remove the limbs off the table now. Sit in the designed seat. Wait for orders. Don’t disappoint me.” The man said as if he was talking to a disobedient child; which Klaus was at the moment, but not really. He was a 30-year-old man, who spent 10 months in the Vietnam war with...Dave. 

His mind starts to drift off into the memories of the man’s arms around him, his laugh piercing the air, his legs propped up on Klaus’s lap.

His mind was brought back to the present when Number 6 nudged the chair with his foot enough to ‘wake’ Klaus but not to be caught. This is why he is Klaus’s favorite, his little angel.

“Sure, bodach. Whatever you want, I am at your beck and call, forever and ever, until the day you kick the large bucket. Really, I would get to that by the way, Hitler wants to meet you so badly. It is an unfavorable manner to leave an important man like him hanging, pops.” Klaus flicked his wrist around in the air as if telling a dramatic poem. 

If Klaus didn’t have to listen to people over the screaming of the ghosts, he might have missed the quiet sound, but he did, so he did. “Good riddance.” 

Klaus gets up from the table and walks over to short little Vanya, pulling her up from where she was seated, looking into her eyes, he dips her as if they are dancing, “You are so my favorite next to Benji-Eye-Joe,” he yanks her back up, and using the momentum spins her away from him in a graceful move. Her skirt twirls around her as her eyes go wide looking back at him. 

The moment is ruined by the surely gay duo, Luther and Daddy-Dipshit screech at him. So Klaus does the only thing he can, he grabs Vanya by the hand and twirls her into his chest, where he wiggles his eyebrows at her. Then he picks her up princess style and runs the hell away. 

When the two reach the end of the Hargreeves massive property, Klaus puts the ‘youngest’ down. “And the princess has been saved by her dashing knight!” When Vanya doesn’t say anything, Klaus continues, “Wait, can I be the princess? You can be the knight, ooohh can I borrow that skirt? I’m gonna have to put a slit in it and cut it shorter, but I think it could look marvelous on me, don’t you think? If I’m the princess, I’m gonna need my nails and hair done! Let’s go shopping and go to the spa!” She still wasn’t reacting. “Do you think that makes Luther or Father Faffs the dragon? I’m gonna say, Luther. You know, with how big he is? Do you think he could fit into our castle? Do we have a castle? Are we Snow White? That movie got a bunch of awards, but I didn’t fancy it all that much. Dave loved it, and we used to sit around his box TV and watch it. Not really, as he didn’t have a TV, but he had the film which is really weird now that I’m thinking about it...But back on the topic! I don’t like Snow White. Besides, who names their kid Snow White? Wait a minute! Where were her parents? She was like 14 right? OMG! THE PRINCE KISSED A 14-YEAR-OLD NONCONSENTING GIRL?!?! Ok, no, we are not being Snow White. What about Rapunzel? She has a castle, beautiful hair, a strong character who needs no man, and her movie isn’t named after her!” 

Klaus was about to go on when a small voice stopped him, “Who is Luther, Vanya, Dave, and Benji? You’ve said that multiple times.” Her eyes were flickering between him and the ground as if terrified to look him in the eye.

For a second, Klaus didn’t say anything, couldn’t say anything. This girl, the one who didn’t think anyone was talking to her, the one with magical music powers, the one who was going to bring about the apocalypse, couldn’t look him in the eye, was scared he wasn’t going to hear her or listen to her. 

He was going to kill Richard Hargreeves for doing this to her.

Klaus wrapped his arms around the brunette, muttering a “you’re too skinny,” before sinking to the ground with her. He started to rock with her, kissing her head as she started crying. 

He couldn’t blame her, he wanted to cry too, but he couldn’t because he has a world to save and a bastard to kill. Klaus has never been good at comforting people, that was Ben’s expertise, so he did what he would have wanted someone to do for him. He listened.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong, pretty lady?” He muttered into her hair.

“Nothing.” Her voice was almost fictitious to his ears.

Klaus shakes his head, “No, you listen now little missy; if you’re crying about it, it’s not just nothing, ok? What you feel…” God this is cringy, but Klaus knows he’s got to repeat what his quake of a therapist said, “is important. It’s important to you, and it’s important to me. Tell me?” He pulls away from her enough to look into her glassy eyes, waiting for a response. 

“I don’t...I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Her voice ghosted his ears, “The pills Father gave me are gone, but...I don’t feel different. I don’t feel more anxious or twitchy or sad or itchy or worried or afraid or, or, or….” Her breathing started speeding up.

“Hey, no, none of that! You are gonna hyperventilate if you do that! Breath with me here, in for 5 out for 8 ok?” Shut up Alive-Dead Nonexistent Ben! He knows those aren’t the right numbers, he just doesn’t want to conform to social expectations. 

It seems to work though, because after a rough start, she’s breathing 5 to 8 in no time. Working 9 to 5, what a way to make a livin’~, ain’t that right? 

Klaus knew rationally that this really wasn’t a good time to do it, as Alive-Dead Nonexistent Ben pointed out, but when had he ever done the rational thing? “Ariel my dear, listen to me. Those pills? They’re useless, does zilch for ya, nada, ok? They...what they are supposed to do is suppress your powers.”


End file.
